Episode 4: Genius Loci, Part I

Alexandria, Lauren, and Harry are at the SEU meeting room at MU and review the books they’ve collected, including De Vermiis Mysteriis, The Revelations of Gla’aki Volume VI, The Book of Eibon, Cultes des Gulles, and The King in Yellow. They obtain lists of spells for these. The investigators drop by Professor Roland Romano in the Department of Biology to see if he can analyze the spikes and fluid they collected from the Brophy brothers’ workshop.

They are approached by another of their colleagues, Stanley Ace, a boxer in the SEU who was away at a fight when the investigators went out to Squatter’s Lake, who tips them off that they might find the other volumes of The Revelations of Gla’aki at the MU main stacks, which they do find successfully. He indicates that he has read these books and expresses surprise at their claim of seeing Gla’aki at Squatter’s Lake when “everyone” knows Gla’aki is in England.

Upon an initial read of the texts, the investigators learn about the history of Gla’aki and his relationship to Azathoth (family tree) and its ability to make Avatars and servants. The text also contains a handwritten note that Gla’aki wants to bring Azathoth to Earth now that he has learned more about humans. They also learn of Yig and his place in the Mythos as well as more history of Mu and the Serpent People and their diaspora and their goal of raising Mu and its confusion with R’lyeh. There are apparently non-Serpent human cultists who have allied themselves with the Serpent People to awaken Cthulhu.

Cut to Nevada at the Danvers State Hospital (in-aptly named as it is in Kingsport!), who is discussing his medical care with Dr. Walter Case, and he is physically healed, but Dr. Case expresses significant concern about Nevada’s mental health and would like him to meet with his psychiatric colleague, Dr. William Berger. Nevada agrees, but it is immediately obvious that Dr. Berger is touched by insanity, restraining him and imprisoning him in J Ward, where only the most dangerous patients/inmates are kept. While there, he is contacted through the wall by Andrew MacBride, another patient being imprisoned there, but he is occasionally let out and offers to smuggle out a letter if Nevada wishes, and he does.

Back to the investigator trio at the SEU, and they receive Nevada’s letter beseeching them to come rescue him from the mad Dr. Berger, only to be followed by a type-written letter that dismisses “his previous” concerns and asks them to stay away. Of course, the trio are suitably suspicious, and enlist the help of fellow SEU members Stanley Ace, Dr. John Lucas (physician), and Gerry Thornhill (journalist), who are more than eager to head off on a grand adventure.

Upon arrival, the sextet are able to get past the welcome desk and orderlies so they can all go back to see Nevada and they meet with Dr. Berger. Dr. Lucas attempts to reason with him, saying that he knows Nevada and, in his professional opinion, is psychically intact and sane, but Dr. Berger strongly disagrees. He does permit them to visit Nevada, taking several orderlies out to J Ward. Notably, the investigators observe a photo hanging on the wall of a friendlier Dr. Berger taking over the hospital from Dr. William Shine, are assaulted by a patient who runs up to them screaming “What do you know? What do you know!?”, and Harry experiences an unsettling encounter where he is pushed from behind but when he turns around, no one is there. As they walk towards J Ward, the patients become more decrepit and ___. They note a wheelchaired patient drawing an unsettling picture of many-eyed creature.

When the sextet meets Nevada at his cell, the orderlies start to give them a few moments of privacy but the group decides to attack and attempt to break Nevada out of the hospital. This unfortunately was met with some bad luck, as they attempted to outrun, unlock a door, land in a puddle, and evade more combative orderlies and patients. When the dust settled, Gerry and Alexandra were knocked unconscious and Dr. Lucas was surrounded by patients in J Ward, while Lauren, Harry, and Stanley holding Nevada escape out of the hospital into their automobile. The fate of the new prisoners and the best way forward remain unclear…